Substance use and self-harm : a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital

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dc.contributor.authorBreet, Elsieen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBantjes, Jasonen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorLewis, Ianen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2018-03-12T05:53:54Z
dc.date.available2018-03-12T05:53:54Z
dc.date.issued2018-03-06
dc.date.updated2018-03-11T05:22:30Z
dc.descriptionCITATION: Breet, E., Bantjes, J. & Lewis, I. 2018. Substance use and self-harm : a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital. BMC Health Services Research, 18:157, doi:10.1186/s12913-018-2963-7.
dc.descriptionThe original publication is available at https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com
dc.description.abstractBackground: Substance use is a potentially modifiable risk factor for suicidal behaviour. Little is known about the epidemiology of substance use among self-harm patients in South Africa. This study set out to collect epidemiological data about the prevalence, correlates, and patterns of medical service utilisation among self-harm patients who used substances at the time of self-injury. Methods: Data from 238 consecutive self-harm patients treated at an urban hospital in South Africa were analysed using bivariate and multivariate statistics. Results Approximately 20% of patients reported substance use at the time of self-harm. When compared to other self-harm patients, higher rates of patients who had used substances: had depressed levels of consciousness on admission; utilised more medical resources and required longer hospital admissions; cited relationship difficulties and financial concerns as reasons for their self-harm; reported a previous episode of self-harm; and intended to die as a result of their injuries. Although the observed differences were not statistically significant (pā€‰>ā€‰0.05), the proportional differences were congruent with international literature. Conclusion: Acute use of substances among self-harm patients warrants more focused research and clinical attention particularly in the context of reducing utilisation of scarce medical resources.
dc.description.urihttps://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-018-2963-7
dc.description.versionPublisher's version
dc.format.extent10 pages
dc.identifier.citationBreet, E., Bantjes, J. & Lewis, I. 2018. Substance use and self-harm : a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospital. BMC Health Services Research, 18:157, doi:10.1186/s12913-018-2963-7
dc.identifier.issn1472-6963 (online)
dc.identifier.otherdoi:10.1186/s12913-018-2963-7
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/103219
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherBioMed Central
dc.rights.holderAuthors retain copyright
dc.subjectSubstance use
dc.subjectSubstance-related disordersen_ZA
dc.subjectSuicidal behavioren_ZA
dc.subjectSelf-harm, Non-fatalen_ZA
dc.subjectMedical careen_ZA
dc.titleSubstance use and self-harm : a cross-sectional study of the prevalence, correlates and patterns of medical service utilisation among patients admitted to a South African hospitalen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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